In March the opposition can remove their confidence. Anyone taking bets?

During a period of prorogation (or recess), the Speaker, the Prime Minister, Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries remain in office and all Members of the House retain their full rights and privileges.

Well, if 2 months vacation is not a problem CS, then I think that ALL working Canadians should get the same 2 month (special statutory holiday) to watch the Olympics - afterall, it's the taxpayers who put the money into it. Taxpayers of all political stripes put money into the Olympics.

CS - you just admitted it was an extra 2 months vacation for the government.

He also fails to understand that if the opposition is going to complain about the prorogation because it stops them from doing important work, it is hardly consistent for them to force an election, thereby stopping parliament and preventing them from doing important work.

During a period of prorogation (or recess), the Speaker, the Prime Minister, Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries remain in office and all Members of the House retain their full rights and privileges.

"The governor general is in a difficult situation. Not granting prorogation would be unprecedented. However, granting it would set a precedent that governments can quickly run to the governor general if they are about to lose the confidence of the House."

One change, scratch "lose the confidence of the House" and add "whenever their feet are being held to the fire."

The extra "holiday" MPs get are 21 sitting days, not 3 months. Someone get a calendar and count from Jan 25 to March 3.The Hoc does not sit on Friday, Sat or Sunday.Pay attention, is your MP in his riding during this break, or are they in Arizona, like Goodale. Why isn't he working for his constituents during this break. Will he extend his holiday, or return by Jan 25. Wonder how many other MPs are out of Canada, instead of doing the work for Canada.Will any of Goodale's staff get in trouble for telling where he is.I do hope he is paying for his holiday on his own dime, and not trying to pass it off as govt business.And how many liberals, with their faux outrage of the proroguing will vote against the budget and face the voters.With a possible election in April, shouldn't they get home and get in touch with their voters.Great ad against Goodale, using his words at how the PM is blah blah, and blah, Ralph decides to ignore all those problems and holiday in Arizona. (and they had snow down there, and it is cold.)

They are just retintroducting it again, again, to poke the MP's with the ugly stick.

In the mid-1970s, when gun registration was barely hinted at and Canada's population was under 25 million, it was estimated that seven million Canadians owned 21 million firearms. How come such a discrepancy, when our population has grown by 25% from those days?

The answer is that there are literally millions of unregistered hunting rifles and shotguns out there that Canadians haven't registered and aren't declaring -- and aren't using to commit crimes.

If you accept this -- and how can you not, if you check the record -- the gun registry is little but an expensive, unnecessary, largely useless waste of time. Bureaucratic boondoggle aptly describes the program. http://www.torontosun.com/news/columnists/peter_worthington/2009/11/14/11743116-sun.html

I don't see a problem in the strategy by the current government to win the support of the voters.

General electionsSince 2000 the Liberals have begun decline from their 40.8% pop to 26% in 2008. The two right of centre parties united and in 2006 have had little if any serious challenge by the opposition.

The Liberals benefited from a very weak NDP 8.5%(2000)Green (0.5%), those days are gone.

The loss of key voting blocks is because of the policies by the Liberals. Check the McGill Study.

How do you feel knowing that the long-gun registry, for example, never will actually be repealed?

Actually, I'm feeling pretty good on that one. ;)

I must say I am loving watching all the con supporters contort themselves as they try to find some thin thread of a reason to justify this action by Harper. It amuses me.

Yeah. It's pretty funny.

The whole "chessmaster" comment from CS reminded me of a parody twitter from "Stephen Harper": As always everyone is playing checkers while I play chess... which may explain why I never had any friends in high school.

I don't see a problem in the strategy by the current government to win the support of the voters.

By not governing. To be honest, if the Conservative's new platform is to self-destruct and never govern, I'd vote for them. It would be great to see themselves repeatedly shoot themselves in the foot.... Now if only they could find a way to manage a budget.

1. We, the Leaders of the Group of Twenty, held an initial meeting in Washington on November 15, 2008, amid serious challenges to the world economy and financial markets. We are determined to enhance our cooperation and work together to restore global growth and achieve needed reforms in the world’s financial systems.http://www.g20.org/Documents/g20_summit_declaration.pdf

Prime Minister Invites Provincial Premiers and Territorial Leaders to a First Ministers’ Meeting on the Economyhttp://www.pm.gc.ca/eng/media.asp?id=2334

MI was busy writing a book and several MP's were spotting a tan from the cheap seats last time.

You should contact your MP if you are concerned about the 21 sitting days and loss of productivity by our government.

But, as I say, contortionism is necessary for CPC supporters right now.

Likewise, I'm enjoying the circus act as well. What I will find most enjoyable is when the inevitable happens and Harper is finally defeated (next year, two years, in four years, whenever) and future Lib governments begin to prorogue constantly to avoid the opposition. Actually, personally I will find it distasteful and repugnant, a reminder of what Harper has left as our new parliamentary normal, and will even more longingly wish for a proper Tory party to return to politics. But I relish the thought of using the Reformatories own words against them. AND I WILL :)

The extent to which Conservatives will go to twist and pretzel themselves to support the single most anti-democratic move of a Canadian government in, well, even as a Canadian historian, I can't remember a bigger anti-democratic move.

When faced with accountability questions the government shuts down Parliament and gives itself a three month Harper Holiday. Time and time again. This is not just bad for Canadian democracy, but dangerous.

Period.

The Reform Party and the principled Stephen Harper are long long long gone.

What does that have to do with suspending our primary democratic institution just to avoid accountability, killing over half his legislative agenda and costing millions and millions of taxpayer dollars at the same time?

This is the single most anti-democratic move of a Canadian government in our history.

What season is it in your world CS? It's winter here. And the MPs are being prevented from doing their job because of Harper's Holiday. In fact, he has cancelled Parliament for that very reason: to avoid them doing their duty, their job and holding the government to account.

I honestly can't think of a more undemocratic action by a Canadian government then shutting down Parliament so it can't represent us..

We all understand how a minority government works. Harper does as well and for 4 years has done everything he can to make it not work.

Whenever it starts to work, he shuts it down. Committees. Promised confidence votes. And even Parliament itself, now three times when the pressure started to get to him and his polling numbers started to drop, he runs like a undemocratic chicken tyrant that he is.

Interesting and telling that you keep trying to change the subject away from his undemocratic obfuscation of a working Parliament and Canadian democracy.

Again changing the subject and not addressing Harper's cancelling Parliament again to avoid accountability. Like I said, very telling.

Canadians across the country wish they could tell their bosses they want a Harper Holiday, but we all have to work. Harper should be working and should be letting Parliament work, instead of running and hiding.